Meat package



g 9 W65 R. F. WESTCMYUT'I' Q M MEAT PACKAGE Filed May 1, 1963 2Sheets-$heet 1 INVENTOR Robe/'2 E Wes/Gaff s-QTTOR/VEY MEAT PACKAGEFiled May 1, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 10 "m m m 1/ I INVENTOR. Roer/EWesico/l Arum/v5? United States Patent 3,264,120 MEAT PACKAGE Robert F.Westcott, Findlay, Ohio, assignor to Dow Chemicai Company, Midland,Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 1, 1963, Ser. No. 277,181Claims. (Cl. 99-174) This invention relates generally to plastic traysand, more particularly, relates to plastic foam trays especiallysuitable for the packaging of foods, such as meats and the like.

In the packaging of fresh meats, poultry, fish or other commodities fromwhich natural juices are likely to exude, it has been customary in thepast to provide containers made of molded pulp which will readily absorbthese juices. One such typical tray is that illustrated in CanadianPatent No. 647,556, issued August 28, 1962. However, when such trays arehandled and viewed by customers they do not present an attractiveappearance since they often become soggy and are easily torn.Furthermore, the natural juices serve to prevent ready removal of themeat product from the tray after the meat has been frozen therein, tothe dismay of the average housewife when trying to separate the two,prior to defrosting of the meat product.

The many advantages of making a meat tray out of a plastic foam, whichwould not be subject to the many disadvantages of a paper pulp tray, arereadily apparent from the present invention.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved packaging tray particularly suitable for packaging freshpoultry and other meats or juicy foods.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedpackaging tray having integral means for removal of excess fluidswithout deterioration of the food packaged therein.

Briefly then, the present invention relates to a plastic tray,preferably of foam, for meat or other products having excess quantitiesof fluid, the tray comprising a double layered bottom wherein the layersare separated to provide a space therebetween. The upper layer containsopenings for the passage of fluids into the space between the layers.The side walls can be m0noor multi-layered. as desired. Such a tray canbe formed from plastic sheets preferably of expanded materials such aspolystyrene foam and polyethylene foam. Urethane foam can also beemployed where the effect of the urethane residues are not important tothe packaged commodity.

Yet additional objects and advantages of the present invention, and itsnumerous cognate benefits and features are even more apparent andmanifest in and by the ensuing description and specification taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing in which, wheresoeverpossible, like characters of reference designate corresponding materialand parts throughout the several views thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a tray constructed according to theprinciples of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a side view thereof;

FIGURE 4 is an end view thereof; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken along reference line5-5 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, tray 10, whichpreferably is formed of an expanded plastic, comprises a generally flatcontainer having a bottom comprising an upper layer or wall 12 and alower layer or wall 14, these walls merging into an integral upstandingand outwardly inclined side wall 16, the latter thus comprising twointegrally united layers of foam. It is "ice to be understood however,that side wall 16 can be monolayered rather than multi-layered if sodesired. An outwardly extending lip 17 is located about the periphery ofthe side wall 16, the purpose of which is described hereinafter.

The upper layer 12 of the tray bottom is located on the inside of thetray and is provided with a multiplicity of perforations or inlets 18preferably uniformly distributed over a substantial area thereof.

Upper and lower walls 12 and 14 are generally spaced from one another soas to present void-like reservoir or internal space 22 into which excessfluids from a meat product can be drained. Space 22 can also serve as areservoir of air to maintain the bloom of the meat for extended periodswhen the package is sealed over with a covering such as one made of acompatible plastic film heat scalable to the foam body along lip 17, orone which can be wrapped therearound and heat sealed to itself about thebottom wall 14. The retaining of the meat fluids within the reservoirbetween walls 12 and 14 serves to prevent dehydration of the meatproduct contained therein. A meat package including tray 10 isillustrated in FIG. 5 wherein a meat product 24 sets upon layer 12 andexcess quantities of meat fluid 26 are contained in reservoirs 22 forlater recovery. If desired, a thin plastic film overwrap 28 can closethe open top of the meat package.

Bottom wall 14 can include indented ribs 20 which preferably engage theunder-surface of upper wall 12 to provide added rigidity for the bottomstructure when such may be needed. These ribs can be fixedly or nonfixedly engaged with upper wall 12.

Although the invention has been particularly described with reference tothe protection of the food contents, it is to be understood that theprinciples thereof may be applied to containers and other productswherein a drainoff of excess fluids may be desired. For example, such atray may be particularly adapted for a drying rack where glass tubes andthe like are taken from a washing bath and placed thereon until dry.While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown forthe purpose of illustrating the invention, it will thus be apparent tothose skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in sucha tray can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

Accordingly, what is claimed as new is:

1. A meat package comprising a piece of meat which exudes excessquantities of fluid, a plastic tray containing said meat and permittingrecovery of said fluid, said tray having a bottom wall, a side wallextending up wardly about the periphery of said bottom wall, said bottomwall comprising substantially non-liquid absorbing upper and lowerlayers, said upper and lower layers being spaced from one another,non-fluid absorbing indentation means extending from said lower layertowards and supporting said upper layer and of a height suflicient toform in said bottom wall a void-like reservoir means containing theentire amount of said excess quantities of fluid, perforations extendingthrough said upper layer, a plurality of said perforations communicatingwith the aforementioned reservoir means whereby said fluid can flow intosaid reservoir means and air in said reservoir means can be utilized.

2. A meat package comprising a piece of meat which exudes excessquantities of fluid, a plastic tray containing said meat and permittingrecovery of said fluid, said tray having a bottom wall, a side wallextending upwardly about the periphery of said bottom wall, said bottomwall comprising substantially non-liquid absorbing upper and lowerlayers, said upper and lower layers being spaced from one another, aplurality of non-fluid absorbing indentations extending from said lowerlayer towards and supporting said upper layer and of sufiicient heightto divide said bottom wall into a plurality of interconnected void-likereservoir means containing the entire amount of said excess quantitiesof fluid, perforations extending through said upper layer, a pluralityof said perforations communicating with the aforementioned reservoirmeans whereby said fluid can flow into said reservoir means and air insaid reservoir means can be utilized.

3. A meat package comprising a piece of meat which exudes excessquantities of fluid, a plastic tray containing said meat and permittingrecovery of said fluid, said tray having a bottom wall, a side wallextending upwardly about the periphery of said bottom wall, said bottomwall comprising substantially non-liquid absorbing upper and lowerlayers, said upper and lower layers being spaced from one another, aplurality of substantially parallel non-fluid absorbing indentationsintegral with and extending from said lower layer towards and supportingsaid upper layer and of suflicient height to divide said bottom wallinto a plurality of interconnected void-like reservoir means containingthe entire amount of said excess I quantities of fluid, perforationsextending through said upper layer, a plurality of said perforationscommunicating with the aforementioned reservoir means whereby said fluidcan flow into said reservoir means and air in said reservoir means canbe utilized.

4. The meat package of claim 3 wherein said upper and lower layers eachcomprise a plastic material heat 4 scalable to the plastic material ofthe other layer, said layers heat sealed with one another about theirperipheries to form said side wall.

5. The tray of claim 4 wherein said plastic material is foam sheet.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,850,391 9/1958Gunsberg 229-3.5 2,850,392 9/1958 Gunsberg 99-174 X 2,918,379 12/1959Lurie 206-46 X 2,989,205 6/1961 Yaws 215-1005 3,026,209 3/1962 Niblacket al. 99-174 3,040,947 6/1962 Wells et al. 229-2.5 3,040,948 6/1962Wells 229-2.5 3,067,921 12/1962 Reifers 229-2.5 3,093,286 6/ 19 63Brickner et al 229-2.5 3,099,567 7/1963 Wallace et al. 229-2.5 3,100,5928/1963 Orr 229-258 3,113,710 12/1963 Meagher 229-2.5

OTHER REFERENCES Molded Expanded Polystyrene, Richard Kuhlman,

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner. J. L. KRUTER, Assistant Examiner.

1. A MEAT PACKAGE COMPRISING A PIECE OF MEAT WHICH EXUDES EXCESSQUANTITIES OF FLUID, A PLASTIC TRAY CONTAINING SAID MEAT AND PERMITTINGRECOVERY OF SAID FLUID, SAID TRAY HAVING A BOTTOM WALL, A SIDE WALLEXTENDING UPWARDLY ABOUT THE PREIPHERY OF SAID BOTTOM WALL, SAID BOTTOMWALL COMPRISING SUBSTANTIALLY NON-LIQUID ABSORBING UPPER AND LOWERLAYERS SAID UPPER AND LOWER LAYERS BEING SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER,NON-FLUID ABSORBING INDENTATION MEANS EXTENDING FORM SAID LOWER LAYERSBEING SUPPORTING SAID UPPER LAYER AND OF A HEIGHT SUFFICIENT TO FORM INSAID BOTTOM WALL A VOID-LIKE RESERVOIR MEANS CONTAINING THE ENTIREAMOUNT OF SAID EXCESS QUANTITIES OF FLUID, PERFORATIONS EXTENDINGTHROUGH SAID UPPER LAYERS, A PLURALITY OF SAID PERFORATIONSCOMMUNICATING WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED RESERVOIR MEANS WHEREBY SAID FLUIDCAN FLOW INTO SAID RESERVOIR MEANS AND AIR IN SAID RESERVOIR MEANS CANBE UTILIZED.